The present disclosure relates to a firefighter""s axe. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a firefighter""s axe that can be used to sweep floor surfaces when searching in low visibility environments.
In search and rescue operations, firefighters are often required to enter burning buildings in search of fire victims. Firefighters usually carry forcible entry tools with them in such operations that they use to penetrate the various rooms of the buildings. Axes are particularly useful tools in these situations in that they can be used to break down locked doors, break through walls, and assist the firefighter in probing for obstacles and victims.
Visibility is often very limited in burning buildings due to the smoke created from the combustion of flammable materials. In that smoke, as well as heat, rises, firefighters commonly crawl on their hands and knees to limit their exposure to the smoke and heat and to increase their visibility. In advanced stages of a fire, however, visibility can be nearly zero even near the floor. Accordingly, firefighters are often called upon to xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d their way around the building.
In one common practice, firefighters sweep the area around them with a standard axe. For instance, a firefighter may grasp his or her axe handle adjacent the axe head and sweep the area with the axe handle to locate the victims and/or obstacles that may be in the area. Unfortunately, sweeping an area in this manner can be difficult due to the design of conventional axes. First, crawling on the hands and knees while grasping the axe just below the axe head requires the firefighter to support his or her weight with his or her knuckles. This practice not only causes discomfort to the firefighter but also can hinder his or her performance in rescuing fire victims and/or fighting the fire.
To avoid xe2x80x9ccrawlingxe2x80x9d on the knuckles, a firefighter can alternatively grip the head of the axe while sweeping the handle back and forth. However, in that conventional axe heads are not designed for gripping, it can be difficult for the firefighter to obtain a secure grip on the axe. Moreover, in that many conventional axe heads are provided with a pick that protrudes rearwardly from the back end of the axe head, the firefighter may have to support the weight of the axe above the ground in that the pick prevents smooth sliding of the axe head along the floor surface. Clearly, this practice can increase firefighter fatigue and again hinder performance. Although other axes have flat butt ends, the widths of these ends are normally too narrow to facilitate easy sliding of the axe head on the floor surface.
From the above, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have an axe which can be securely grasped by the head and easily swept back and forth during search and rescue operations.
The present disclosure relates to a firefighter""s axe. The axe generally comprises a handle having a top end and a bottom end, a stem forming a portion of the elongated handle adjacent the top end of the handle, and a head having a front end and a rear end. Formed on the front end of the axe head is a blade. Formed on the rear end of the axe head is a sweeping surface that is substantially planar in shape. The axe head further includes a thumb opening with which the user can grip the axe head.
In addition the present disclosure relates to a method for sweeping a floor surface, comprising grasping an axe head with one""s thumb extending through a thumb opening formed of the axe head, resting the axe head on the floor surface on a broad sweeping surface formed on a rear end of the axe head, and sweeping a handle of the axe back and forth adjacent the floor surface.
The features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.